Riding the Ryder

Spring Break 2008 started with a wild ride for Josh. He and his friend Matt returned to Ryder Canyon near Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River. It's a tough hike to the canyon and the river, but last year he and Matt caught some great trout. They were eager to get back and a good hike never stopped either one of them.

This year the trout weren't biting, but Josh wasted no time catching something else - a ride down the rapids.

The pair met up with a group of high school students and their river guides making their way down the Colorado. A short chat later and Josh was quickly putting on a life jacket and helmet and jumping into the raft. As they took off, the guide said something about sticking with the raft if it flipped. It was the first Josh had thought of this.

As if on cue, the boat navigated the first set of rapids then hit a pocket and went vertical. Like a scene from the Titanic, Josh held on to the top as the others hit the water, then he jumped clear. There was a second of shock as he hit the icy water, unsure what to do - stay with the raft or swim to shore? There was no time to panic. Most of the kids were underneath the raft, holding on, but Josh saw others making their way to shore. He followed, but the current was strong and he hit an eddy. It pulled him back to the center. There was no use fighting the motion. Regaining his bearings he let it push him out, then swam quickly to shore.

Once on dry land, he stripped down to his boxers to warm up - a trick he'd learned from Man vs. Wild. Shaking and with a big grin on his face, Josh could only imagine what the rest of his week had in store.

(Thanks Matt for the great pix!)